Sole-pressing machine.



J. H. LA ROUGHE.

SOLE PRESSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 11, I91!- i 1,274,723. Patented Aug. 6, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

4015 46 45 4/ 42, I $9 5 ,9 38 59 I lt/z'lnewesv J. H. LA ROUCHE.

SOLE PRESSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 11'. 1911.

1 ,274,723. Patented Aug. 6, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET Z- J. H. LA ROUCHE.

SOLE PRESSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 11. *au.

1 Q7Q 7Q3, Patented Aug. 6, 1 91 8.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- sTATns UNTTE JOSEPH H. LA'ROUCHE, OFLYNN,MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY- MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, To UNITED SHOEMACHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEWJERSEY.

SOLE-PRESSING -MACHINE.

Application filed. March 11, 1911.

7 '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH H. LA RQUOHE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sole-PressingMachines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to 'make and use the same.

This invention relates to sole-pressing machine's and more particularlyto such machines of the type in which a shoe sole, constituting aportion of a lasted shoe, 1s conformed to the shape of the bottom of thelast by the action of cooperating presslng 1nstrumentalities such as ajack and a form, or mold. Machines of the general type in question arecommonly designated as solelaying machines, or as direct-pressuresoleleveling machines, according to the steps in the manufacture of theshoe in connection with which they are used.

Owing to the great variety of styles and sizes of shoes and thecorresponding varieties in the lasts which are employed in connectionwith machines of the type described, such machines are commonly providedwith adjusting devices by which they may be adjusted to produce similareffects upon all soles whatever the style and size of the shoe beingoperated upon. Such means usually is arranged to vary the initialdlstance between the pressing instrumentalities, while the mechanism formoving the latter is arranged to impart pressing movements of uniformamplitude,

The object of the present invention is to produce a machine of novel andsimple construction in which preliminary adjustment of the sole pressingmechanism is dispensed within changing from one class of work toanother. In accordance with this object a feature of the inventioncomprises provision for accommodating itself automatically to lasts andshoes of varying sizes, in so far as the production of a predetermineddegree of pressure upon the work is concerned. In the best form of theinvention at present known to the inventor, this end is accomplished bymaking the relative movement of the pressing instrumentalities.

toward each other variable in extent, the ac- Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented Aug. 6, 1918.

Serial No. 613,703.

tuating mechanism being arranged to contlnue such movement until thework has been subjected to a predetermined pressing action and then atonce to discontinue, automatioally, the relative movement of thepressing instrumentalities.

Other objects and features of the invention, readily understood by thoseskilled in the art, will be set fort-h in connection with the followingdescription of the embodiment thereof illustrated in the drawings andthen definitely pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure l is a front elevation of asole-laying machine embodying the present invention, with a portion ofthe casing broken away to show the interior mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine, looking from right to left inFig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the lower right hand portion of themachine; and

Fig. 4 is a vertical section, on a larger scale than the precedingfigures, of the lower portion of the machine, looking from right to leftin Fig. 1, and taken substantially on the line 4-4 in said figure. V

The invention, as'illustrated,,is embodied in a sole-laying machine inwhich the solepressing instrumentalities comprise a jack,

upon which a lasted shoe may be mounted,

and a cooperating form. The jack, as illustrated particularly in Fig. 1,comprises a cross-head 5 having ways 6 and 7 upon which a heel-post8 anda toe-post 9 are adjustably secured. The heel-post and the toepost maybe of'any ordinary or suitable construction, and they are adapted tosupport a lasted shoe 11, in the usual manner, above the verticallyreciprocating form 12.

The cross-head 5 is mounted to slide vertically for a limited distance,on vertical rods 13 constituting a part-of the frame of the machine. Thecross-head normally rests,

however, upon collars 15 fixed on the rods 13. Upward movement of thecross-head is resisted by compression springs 16 bearing upon thecross-head and engaging at their upper ends a yoke 17 which isvertically adjustable upon the rods 13., The yoke is supportedagainstthe pressure of the springs by means of a screw 18 which is splined soas to slide, but not to rotate, in a cross-bar 14 fixedto the upper endsof the rods 13. The

. vertical position of the screw 18 is controlled by a nut mounted in arecess in the crossbar having at its ,periphery a worm-wheel 19. Thisworm-wheel is in mesh with a worm 21 journaled in the cross-bar androtatable by means of a hand wheel 22. By the means just described, thedegree of compression of the spring 16 may be adjusted so as to regulatethe downward pressure by means of which the ack is held against thecollars 15.

The form 12 is mounted" in any ordinary or suitable manner upon a bed 23of usual construction which slides vertically upon the rods 13. The bedis actuated in a well known manner, by means of a toggle comprising arms24 and 25, as shown particularly in Fig. 4. The arm 24 is'pivoted to thebed 23, while the arm 25 is pivoted to 'a' crank is fixed uponacrank-shaft 29 journaled in the frame of the machine. The crank-shaftis rotated by means of a gear 31 (Fig. 3) meshing With a pinion 32. Thepinion is fixed upon a power-shaft 33 ]0L1I naled in the frame of the.machine below the crank-shaft 29.

- Upon each end of the shaft is a pulley 34 which normally rotatesfreely upon the shaft. The clutch by which each of these pulleys may beconnected with the powershaft to rotate the latter, need not beparticularly described, as it is of a well known type, it comprising theusual operating finger or lever 36, which cooperateswith a cone 37 freeto slide upon and to rotate with the power-shaft. In the position of theparts as shown in Fig. 3, the clutch at the left hand end of the shaftis out of operation, but when the cone 37 is moved to the left upon thepower-shaft the clutch is thrown into operation and connects the pulleywith the power-shaft. The clutch-cone of each clutch is operated bymeans of a forked shipper lever 38, which is fixed to a rock-shaft 39journaled at the base of the frame of the machine. 7

All of the parts above described are in duplicate in the illustratedmachine, which is of the usual twin form, so that while one pair of solepressing instrumentalities is subjecting a shoe-sole to pressure, theoperator may occupy the interval in removing and replacing the workbetween the other pair-of sole pressing instrumentalities.

The two driving clutches are thrown alternatively into operation,however, by a single treadle mechanism which is operable in oppositedirections. To this end the two shipper-levers 38 are connected by arod-40 (Figs. 1 and 3) which has threaded extremitiespassing looselythrough openings in the levers? Nuts. 44, adjustably mounted on thethreaded portions of the rod 40, are adapted to engage the inner sidesof the levers, so

that-one lever or the other is thrown in a direction to operate thecorresponding clutch, according to the direction of movement of the rod.The rod is actuated by .or the other, according as the operator pressesupon one end or theother of the treadle.

In order to guard against carelessness on the partof the operator andrender it impossible for both clutches to be thrown into operation atonce, nuts 45 are mounted upon the threaded extremities of the rod 40outside of the shipper levers 38. The space between these nuts and thelevers is sufficient to permit one le'ver at a time to be thrown intoposition to operate the corresponding clutch, but it is impossible forboth levers at once to be in clutch operating position. To hold bothclutches normally out of operation, the shipper-levers are connected bya spring 46 (Fig. 3) which tends to drawthem both into normalinoperative position. It is thus necessary for the operator to maintainone end of the treadle in depressed position so long as the pressinginstrumentalities of either side of the machine are to be held inoperative position.

In connection with the clutch-meclmnism just described, the machine isprovided with a brake which is adapted toarrest the movement of theactuating mechanism immediately upon the release of either clutchthrough which the machine is being driven. To this end the'crank-shaft29 is provided with a brake-dru1n'47 (Figs. 3 and 4) on each side of thegear 31, and these brake drums are engaged simultaneously by abifurcated brake-shoe 48. The brake-shoe has an upwardly extending stem49 which is guided in a yoke 51 constituting a part of the frame of themachine. ,A compression spring 52 surrounding the stem 49 normallypresses the brake-shoe downward into operative engagement with the twobrake drums.

To raise the'brake into inoperative position when either clutch is inoperation, levers 53 are pivoted upon shafts 54 at each side of thebrake-shoe, the inner end of each lever 53 being articulated with thebrakeshoe by means of a screw 55 (Fig. 4) engaging an opening in the endof the lever. Upon each .shaft 54 is also pivoted alever '56 provided atits inner end with an'adthe lever 56 is depressed. Each lever 56 isconnected, by a rod 58, with an arm 59 fixed on the shipper leverrock-shaft 39 which is below it. The arrangement just described is suchthat when the shipper lever 38, as shown in Fig. 3, is swung to the leftto,throw the corresponding clutch intooperation, the arm 59 pullsdownward on the rod 58 thus causing the corresponding screw 57 of thelever 56 to engage and raise the lever 53, and thus to raise --thebrake-shoe from the brake-drums and permit-the crank-shaft to be rotatedfreely from the clutch-mechanism through the gears.

When a clutch is thrown into operation, as above described, the toggle2425 is moved toward a straight-line position, thereby raising the bed23 and the form until the form engages the sole of the lasted shoe onthe jack. As soon as such engagement occurs, the continued movement ofthe bed causes the jack to rise, while at the same time the sole issubjected to a pressure due to and regulated by the weight of the jackand the degree of compression of the springs 16.

The upward movement of the cross-head 5 is employed to actuate theautomatic devices for throwing the clutch out of operation todiscontinue the upward movement of the form. To this end each cross-headis provided with abracket 60 (Figs- 1 and 2),

and rods 61 are pivoted at their lower ends to the levers 56, while theupper ends of the rods pass loosely through holes in the brackets andare provided with adjustable nuts 62.- Each nut 62 is so adjusted that,upon the upward movement of either cross-head as just described, thebracket 60 engages the nut and thus raises the rod 61 and draws thelever 56, to which it is connected, upward. This movement of the lever56 throws the corresponding clutch out of operation automatically, andat thesame time permits the spring 52 to again cause the brake-shoe toengage the brake-drums, thereby at once arresting the movement of theactuating mechanism and also preventing return movement of the mechanismunder the influence of the downward pressure on the form and the bed.

After the automatic operation just de-- both belts are connected withthe same source of power (not shown), the pulleys are rotated constantlyin opposlte directions. When, therefore, the position of the treadle isreversed by the operator, as just described, the power-shaft at oncemoves in the opposite direction to the first movement described, therebylowering the form which was previously raised and raising the other forminto operative position. This alternate operation of the two sides ofthe machine is thus continued indefinitely, the duration of the pressingoperation depending upon the operator, while the degree of pressure towhich the work is subjected while governed automatically is the same foreach shoe.

It will be obvious that as the upward movement of the bed and the formterminates automatically when the cro'sshead has been raised and thesprings 16 compressed to a predetermined extent, the pressure to whichthe Work-is subjected is invariable and does not depend upon the size ofthe last or of the shoe. As the movement of the pressing mechanism isalways arrested automatically after the form has moved through whateverdistance may be necessary to produce the predetermined efl'ect, allvertical adjustment of the pressing instrumentalities is thus renderedunnecessary in changing from one style or size of shoe to another, afterthe machine has once been set to produce a predetermined pressure uponthe work.

While the invention has been described as embodied in a sole pressingmachine of a particular type, it will be obvious that the invention isnot limited to machines of this type or. to the details of constructionand operation hereinbefore particularly described and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, but that it mav be embodied in various otherforms, within the nature of the invention as it is defined in thefollowing claims.

-What is claimed as new is 1. A sole pressing machine, having, incombination, cooperating sole pressin members, one of said members beingyie dingly supported against the pressure of the work, mechanism formoving the other member toward said yielding member. and means operatingin untimed relation to the relative movement of the pressing members toautomatically arrest the operation of said mechanism and hold saidmembers in pressure position when said yielding means has yielded apredetermined degree.

2. A sole pressing machine, having, in combination, a shoe supportingjack, a sole pressing form, a spring for supporting said jack againstthe pressure of the work, mechanism for moving said form through avariable distance toward the jack, and means connected with the jack,and actuated through the yielding movement thereof, to

in pressure position upon the attainment of:

a predetermined degree of pressure upon the work.

3. A sole pressing. machine, having, in combination, ayieldingly-mounted shoe supporting jack, a form, mechanism for movingthe form positively toward the jack through a variable distance, andmeans con, .nected with and actuated by the jack for interrupting theoperation of said mechanism and holding said jack and form in pressureposition when the jack yields through a predetermined distance i to thepressure of the work.

4. A sole pressing machine, having, in combination, a yieldingly-mountedshoe sup- .porting jack, an adjustable spring for supportingthe'jackagainst thepressure of the work, a form, mechanism for movingthe form toward the jack through a variable distance, and meansconnected with the jack for interrupting the operation of said mechanismand holding said jack and form in pressure position when the jackyields, through a predetermined distance, to the pressure of the work.

5. A sole pressing machine, having, in combination, cooperating solepressing membars; a source of power, a train of mechanism connecting oneof said pressing members and said source of power, having a definitelimit of extent of movement, for moving one of said members toward theother; and automatic means for disconnecting said train of mechanismfrom its source of power to stop the advance of the moving member shortof its limit of extent of movement, and for causing a dwell of saidmembers in pressure position, after a predetermined amount of pressurehas been applied to the sole.

6. A sole pressing machine, having, in combination, two cooperating solepresslng members, and means for producing a continuous relative approachmovement of.

said members in the same general direction first through anindeterminate distance by which the work is engaged and then through apredetermined distance by which the work is compressed.

7. A sole pressing machine, having, in combination, cooperating solepressing members, mechanism having a definite limit of extent ofmovement for moving one of said members toward the other, automaticmeans' for interrupting the advance of the moving member short of thelimit of its extent of movement after a predetermined amount of pressurehas been placed on the work, and

a plurality of means independent of each,

other by which the amount of pressure may be predetermined. v

8.- A sole pressing machine, having, in combination, cooperating solepressing members, one of said members having a pressure stroke movementthroughout its limit of travel toward the other, a source of power, atrain of mechanism connecting said source of power and said lastmentioned member through which pressure is exerted on the sole, andmeans to automatically disconnect said train of mechanism from saidsource of power tovarythe distance of travel of said member, dependentupon variations of thickness of the work held on the other member,whereby a uniform predetermined amount of pressure is given to the soleregardless of its thickness.

9. A sole pressing machine, having, in combination, cooperating solepressing members, mechanism having a definite limit of extent ofmovement for moving one of said members toward the other, a thrustspring for yieldingly holding said other member, automatic means forinterrupting the advance of the moving member short of the limit of itsextent of movement, after a predetermined amount of pressure has beenplaced on work held on said other member, and means for predeterminingthe pressure comprising an adjustment for the thrust spring and devicesto vary the travel of the moving member.

10. A sole pressing machine, having, in combination, cooperating sol'epressing members including a sole pressing form and a sole support; asource of power for operating said sole pressing members, a trainof'mechanism connecting one of said pressing members and said source ofpower through which the pressing members are relatively moved to exertpressure on the sole; and means, operating in untimed relation to thecycle of operation of the machine, for disconnecting said train ofmechanism from its source of power upon the attainment of apredetermined pressure on the sole.

11. A sole pressing machine, having, in combination, cooperating solepressing members including a sole pressing form and a sole support;mechanism for relatively moving said members; a spring adapted to becompressed during such movement to exert pressure on the sole; and meansoperating in untimed relation to the cycle of operation of the machinefor stoppingthe relative sole pressing movement of the support and formupon'a predetermined compression of the spring, said means acting tohold the spring to the degree of compression attained at the moment themovement of the pressing mem bers ce ses.

,' JOSEPH H. LA ROUCHE.

